We’ve all heard the well-known real estate saying, “location, location, location.” And when it comes to people, I think “relationship, relationship, relationship.” In order to maximize and best enjoy relationships you want to have good interpersonal skills.
Since almost all aspects of our lives involve communication, having ‘people’ skills, such as collaboration and good interpersonal abilities, and traits like self-confidence, and positive thinking, are highly desirable.
Specifically in the workplace, where we interact with different types of people, good interpersonal skills are vital. Other important interpersonal skills are listening, understanding and using body language and the same of gestures (non verbal communications). Moreover, having a positive attitude, and showing respect and appreciation are highly valuable to fostering good relationships.
Our interpersonal skills are integral to our relationships in both personal and professional connections. Having good interpersonal skills leads to a better understanding of others. We use those skills when we interact with others.
Anyone can develop strong interpersonal skills. Like developing a muscle in our arms or legs to make them stronger, these skills can be built. For some it may come more naturally, but the reality is that anyone, with practice, can develop these skills, and doing so can lead to building more effective relationships.
In the workplace interpersonal skills are the foundation of trust, and are key factors in individual and organizational performance. Results from developing successful interpersonal skills contribute to better performance, effective problem solving, and help in decision-making.
A local organization, Management Concepts, offers a course Interpersonal Skills. The course teaches competencies that are essential for developing effective relationships with others. The competencies are at the course’s foundation. They are:
Awareness of self
Awareness of others, and
Maximizing Relationships
Awareness of self: understanding your own communication skills and how they impact others. As you deepen your awareness you’ll be able to make new choices about how to communicate more effectively.
Awareness of others: includes careful listening, skilful questioning, and keen observation of nonverbal cues to ensure understanding. By being aware of others you can structure your communication to be more effective with different types of people.
Maximizing Relationships: using and refining your interpersonal skills over tie to develop satisfying connections with others; also being able to deal with conflict and breakdowns that occur.
We know that growth in one area can cause your personal effectiveness to flourish. Who wouldn’t want that!
In my next article, I’ll dive deeper into interpersonal skills because they are essential for a person to thrive. Stay tuned!